KW Cabs ST-2m Cab Review

KW Cabs founder Kurt Wyberanec
launched his company back in 2003
with a mission to build exceptionally powerful
and smooth-sounding guitar cabs. While
many of his contemporaries were building
their cabinets using traditional methods,
Wyberanec built his with the resonant qualities
of acoustic guitars in mind. Wyberanec
believes the tonal quality of the wood in a
cabinet has as much impact on guitar tone
as its size and speakers. And many players
who have had the chance to play through
one of his cabinets—such as the ST-2m and
ST-2v—have become believers themselves.

KW’s ST-2 2x12 series use a combination
of select hardwoods, finely tuned porting,
non-braced baffles, and handpicked speakers
to create a cabinet that packs a huge wallop
and can easily hold its own next to larger
4x12 units. The ST-2m in particular is geared
toward modern players who crave thicker
tones with tight lows, and sports a pair of
Warehouse Retro 30 speakers and an additional
bass port for focusing low-end dispersion.

Knock on Wood
With its beautiful ribbon-striped sapele and
dovetail joints, the ST-2m is certainly eye-catching.
KW chose this wood (also known
as African mahogany) for its warm and highly
resonant qualities and very balanced frequency
response. Plus, it looks drop-dead gorgeous
with multiple coats of furniture-grade, pre-catalyzed
lacquer. If darker-toned woods such
as mahogany aren’t your cup of tea, there’s no
need to fret. KW offers 32 tonewood options
to choose from, ranging from brighter-sounding
maple species to such exotic woods
as purpleheart and Macassar ebony. The front
grille is similar to older Fender cloth and the
lightweight weaving is designed to filter the
sound as little as possible.

Four rectangular ports open to the cab’s
lower section, and these have been carefully
measured and placed for optimum
low-end projection. And if you want a less
aggressive tone with a softer low end, the
back panel is designed to be removed via
eight Phillips-head screws.

The cabinet sports two Warehouse
Retro 30 12" speakers (KW also offers several
other choices), which are designed to
deliver sweet highs, complex midrange, and
clear bass response. They can be run in 16 Ω
or 4 Ω mono, 8 Ω stereo, 8 Ω to a single
speaker, or in parallel with another cab.

The cab weighs in at a hefty 68 pounds,
but KW notes that our review model is a
little heavier than most ST-2s, which are
more typically in the 55-pound range.
Though it’s hefty, the KW is pretty easy to
move, thanks to the comfortable all-wood
handles that are recessed into its sides.

Thunder Shaker Wood
Driving the ST-2m with a Mesa/Boogie
Dual Rectifier Reborn and a Gibson Les
Paul Custom, the cabinet emitted pummeling
high-gain rhythm tones with a wealth
of harmonic content. The Retro 30s had an
eerily similar sound and feel to Celestion
Vintage 30s, but with less of the sharp midrange
spike that’s common to those classics.
The dark and warm sounds of sapele also
seemed to balance out the Retros’ characteristically
brighter top end—quite like a
mahogany guitar body can roll off the harsh
edges of brighter pickups or mahogany
backs and sides impart warmth to an acoustic
tone.

As I moved from forceful picking to a
lighter approach, the Mesa’s high end became
more detailed and open than I had ever heard.
And the cab gave the amp’s thick overdrive
plenty of room to breathe, allowing the tone to
expand without getting congested or muddy.

The ST-2m so excelled at focusing the
Mesa’s lows that after a while, the bottom
end became almost fatiguing and I had
to drop the amp’s bass control lower than
normal. Fortunately, one of this cabinet’s
many sweet spots is right at a volume setting
that isn’t overpowering and more than
loud enough to work with a full band. But
if you really want to be heard over everyone
else and play at obscenely high volumes, the
KW will oblige without sounding choked.
Just be wary of sitting right in the speaker’s
direct line of fire—the projection from this
monster is intense.

The ST-2m is equally adept at delivering
luscious clean tones as it is at kicking
out vicious metal tones. And in some ways
the cleaner sounds are even more impressive.
Removing the portion of the back
panel and hooking up a Fender Twin and a
Stratocaster was a revealing demonstration
of just how much warmth this cabinet can
lend. The Twin’s lows were perceptibly richer
and displayed more midrange presence, and
in general, the harmonic spectrum sounded
wider and more alive. Perhaps the only sacrifice
was a touch of glassiness in the highs.
But a Tele-wielding country player with a
craving for twang could still sound fantastic
with this setup, even if the slightly rounded
highs and increased midrange punch tilt the
rig toward blues and rock tones.

The Verdict
A cabinet can either add detail to a great
tone or crush your sound under a blanket of
brittleness, mud, or thin-bodied projection.
But KW’s ST-2m won’t squelch the tone of
your amp, and it’s almost certainly going to
enhance the projection and low-end detail
you’ll hear from it. If you’re used to the
traditional tones of birch-ply cabs, the tonal
coloration of the ST-2m will probably be
a surprise—and perhaps an acquired taste.
But KW has a huge selection of tonewoods
and models to choose from (including bass
cabinets), so there’s a good chance you’ll find
a KW cabinet recipe that complements and
enhances your amp and playing style.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Jordan grew up traveling the country as the son of theater technical directors and speech instructors. His exposure to the performing arts early on helped foster his love for music and attention to detail, and upon receiving his first guitar at age 15, he became hooked. Jordan brings a considerable background of gear knowledge and tech experience to Premier Guitar, and has contributed an extensive amount of articles, artist interviews and Rig Rundown videos since late 2008. He lives in the Iowa City area, where he also works to bring music education initiatives to both local and regional communities.

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